Main Takeaways: -What is product management and how do you break into it? -Importance of finding your unique voice as a woman product manager -Mentorship and sponsorship and why that is important

1. Women in Product by Visa
Sr Director of Product
www.productschool.com

2. CERTIFICATES
Your Product Management Certificate Path
Product Leadership
Certificate™
Full Stack Product
Management Certificate™
Product Management
Certificate™

3. Corporate
Training
Level up your team’s Product
Management skills

4. Free Product Management Resources
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EVENTS
JOB PORTAL
COMMUNITIES
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5. Women in Product
Sonie Botta – Sr Director of Product Management

6. ❖ What is product management and how do you get into it?
❖ Importance of finding your unique voice as a woman product
manager
❖ Mentorship and sponsorship and why that is important?
Agenda

7. My Background
UI
Develope
r
Business
Analyst
Program
Manager
Product
Manager

8. 1:
What is Product Management and how do
you get into it?

9. Product management is the practice
of strategically driving the
development, market launch, and
continual support and improvement
of a product(s)
What is product
management?

10. ❖ Product Managers are extremely creative and
have amazing vision
❖ PMs are the mini-CEO of the product
❖ You need product management certifications
❖ PMs are highly technical with a computer
science background
Myths about
Product managers

11. Soft Skills
❖ Influencing without power
❖ Relationship building
❖ Negotiation
❖ Championing
What makes a good
product manager?
❖ Knowing your audience
❖ You ask the question WHY? (Every time)
❖ Leans on data balanced with gut
feelings
❖ Aligns stakeholders around the vision for
your product.
❖ Ruthlessly prioritize
❖ Hard Skills vs Soft skills
Hard Skills
❖ Road-mapping
❖ Agile (vs waterfall)
❖ Data, KPIs, Tools
❖ Domain knowledge
❖ Rational Prioritization
methodologies

12. Ways into Product
Management
Skill transfers &
resume
Adjacent roles Build your network
Product
certifications,
Books
Side projects,
volunteer outside
90/10, Go share
Build a track
record key skills in
product
management
Internal transfers,
Internships

13. 2:
Finding your unique voice as a
woman product manager

14. Average women in top
Tech companies
Ratio of men to
women in engineering
In 1985, 37% of
computer engineering
graduates were
women. Today, it’s
only 24%.
41% women in tech
drop off before year
10
Technology sector
Is there a gender gap in technology?
25% 5:1 24
%
41
%

15. Alternative viewpoints creates better
products
Self fulfilling prophecy - company gains a
reputation of having a more diverse
workforce
Better innovation and improved financial
performance
Why does
gender
diversity
matter?

16. ❖ Develop your own brand
❖ Keep asking questions, researching, learning
❖ Gaining confidence
❖ Champion your ideas
❖ Imposter syndrome & getting comfortable
❖ Find your mentor
Finding your unique
voice

17. Section 3: Importance of mentorship
and sponsorship

18. Sponsorship
❖ Active workplace
advocates
❖ Usually within your org
❖ Puts you in place of
success
Why do you need
both?
❖ Mid-career can be particularly
challenging for women.
❖ 41% of women drop out of tech field
within 10 years.
❖ Navigating tech world.
Mentorship
❖ Guidance
❖ Professional role model
❖ Learning new skills

19. Thank You
Say Hi: linkedin.com/in/soniebotta/

20. www.productschool.com
Part-time Product Management Training Courses
and
Corporate Training